Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

Using whole eggs instead of just the yolk, makes this homemade mayonnaise recipe practically fail-proof and extra easy. Jump to the Whole Egg Mayonnaise Recipe or watch our quick video to see how we make the tastiest and easiest mayonnaise in less than 10 minutes!

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How to Make Practically No-Fail Whole Egg Mayonnaise

The ingredients are simple — we bet you even have them in your kitchen right now. You will need an egg, Dijon mustard, red or white wine vinegar, some salt and a neutral flavored oil.

A+J’s Tip: You can use olive oil, but it can be a little overpowering so use one that’s light and fruity and consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil and use something more neutral for the rest.

There are a few ways to make mayonnaise. We use our food processor with the small bowl attachment, but an immersion blender or making it completely by hand will work. (Expect tired arms and strong biceps if you do choose to do it by hand).

Room temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise at home. If you’re not able to wait for the egg to come to room temperature, submerge it in lukewarm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes.

To make the mayo, combine egg with mustard, vinegar and some salt in the bowl of a food processor. Mustard adds flavor, but it also helps to keep the mayonnaise stable. Along with the egg yolk, mustard helps emulsify the mixture, reducing the risk of our mayo breaking.

Give everything a whirl in the processor, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then slowly (very, very slowly) add the oil. Start by adding tiny drops of oil until about 1/4 of the oil has been added. It’s at this point that you should notice the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify. Once this happens, you can be a little less strict with how slowly the oil is added. A thin stream of oil is perfect. After all of the oil is added, you’ll be left with thick and creamy mayonnaise.

At this point it is a good idea to taste the mayonnaise to see if any more salt or acid is needed. We usually add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up a little. This is also a great time to make the mayonnaise entirely your own. Fresh herbs, garlic paste, chipotle, Sriracha or curry powder are all amazing options. A+J’s Tip: To make garlic paste, finely chop one clove of garlic, sprinkle with a little coarse salt then use the flat side of your knife to press and scrape the garlic against your cutting board until a paste forms.

How to Fix Broken Mayonnaise

When making mayonnaise, the worst, but not unfixable, thing that can happen to you is that the mixture breaks, leaving you with a curdled mess. Our recipe tries to prevent this a few ways: we use a whole egg, which adds a little more liquid to the mix, mustard acts as an emulsifier from the get go and we are careful to stream our oil in slowly. While we have never had this recipe for mayonnaise break on us, if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it.

Add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then slowly beat the broken mayonnaise into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again (a tip from Julia Child). Another trick is to repeat the same process, but replace the teaspoon of mustard with an egg yolk.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: We use this mayonnaise to make our seriously good coleslaw. See how to make our favorite homemade coleslaw. Jump to the Easy Coleslaw Recipe.

Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

PREP 10mins

TOTAL 10mins

Homemade mayonnaise is such a treat. It’s very simple to make, too. Room temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise at home. If you’re not able to wait for the egg to come to room temperature, submerge it in lukewarm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes. There are a few ways to make mayonnaise. We use our food processor with the small bowl attachment, but an immersion blender or making it completely by hand and large whisk will work. (Expect tired arms and strong biceps if you do choose to do it by hand).

Directions

Prepare Equipment

If you have a large food processor, use the smaller bowl attachment that came with your processor so that the bowl is not too large for the amount of mayonnaise this recipe makes. Not using the smaller bowl can prevent the mayonnaise from emulsifying since the mixture will not have enough contact with the blade.

If you do not the smaller bowl attachment, making the mayonnaise with an immersion blender or by hand are alternatives. Or simply make a larger batch and double the recipe and use the standard bowl attachment.

Make Mayonnaise

Add egg, mustard, vinegar, and salt to the small bowl of a food processor and process for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn the food processor on then begin to slowly add the oil in tiny drops until about a quarter of the oil has been added (this is critical for proper emulsification).

Once you notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify, you can be a little less strict. With the processor on, continue to add it slowly, but increase to a very thin stream instead of drops of oil.

When all of the oil has been added, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and process for an extra 10 seconds. Taste mayonnaise for seasoning then add salt, lemon juice or extra vinegar to taste. Note, if the mayo seems too thin, slowly stream in more oil with the processor running until thick.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

Storing Homemade Mayonnaise: Store covered in the refrigerator as long as the expiration date of your eggs allow.

Olive oil: Olive oil can be a little overpowering so use one that’s light and fruity and consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil and use something more neutral for the rest.

Fixing Broken Mayonnaise: While we have never had this recipe for mayonnaise break on us, if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it. Add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then slowly beat the broken mayonnaise into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again (a tip from Julia Child). Another trick is to repeat the same process, but replace the teaspoon of mustard with an egg yolk.

Even though I’ve read in many cookbooks that mayo is easy to make, I was always too intimidated but this page really encouraged me to try. The first time I made it broke but I used your tip and fixed it, and it was perfectly creamy. The second time I made it I think everything was fine but since I didn’t have the hang of it yet I restarted my recipe because it looked so runny. If at the end it looks runny just re add the runny mayo to a new egg yolk. I didn’t put as much mustard though, I just shook in a little dry mustard. The first time I used olive oil but the second time I used avocado oil because I thought the olive oil was a bit strong, especially for sandwiches.Thank you!

Just made this (4 x quantity as we have a big party this weekend) – can’t believe how easy this was to make and how delicious it tastes. I made this with light olive oil and it’s amazing. Won’t be buying shop bought again.

I made this in a vita-mix blender, using everything the same as the recipe except I used apple cider vinegar because it was all I had on hand. It turned out perfect! I will never buy mayonnaise again, this was so easy and really tasty. Thank you!

I tried to make mayo tonight with just using egg yoke by hand and it didn’t work. So I tried your no fail mayo and it worked great! I only used half of a teaspoon of lemon juice and I added teaspoon of sugar and I used vegetable oil and I made in my blender! It came out perfect! But could I use a flavor mustard like sweet onion mustard instead of dijon?

Also, the combination of red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard gave such a horrible taste that the thin, runny mess wasn’t even salvageable as salad dressing — I had to throw it out. What a waste of my money and time. Did anyone bother to try this recipe before posting it? I would wager not.

Hi Marie, Yes, absolutely. Adam and I personally test each and every recipe shared on Inspired Taste. We have also added a recipe video (at the top of the page) showing how we make it. I am very sorry the recipe did not work well for you.

Perfect as written. Turned out so good I’ve replaced my favorite mayo recipe!! So disappointed to see folks leave a poor review after they’ve messed with it. Simply put it’s bad behavior and unfair to the author. They’re reviewing their recipe, not yours. I for one thank you – it’s well worth the 5 stars!!!

I have tried many mayonnaise recipes and none of them have come together consistently and as well as this recipe. It tastes delicious and it’s thick and creamy. I’m just so so happy with this recipe. I use a deep bowl and a hand mixer. Thank you so much for sharing!!

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